Top 10 Inspirational Quotes from Gabrielle Union's "We're Going to Need More Wine"
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I'm a sucker for a good book - I can't even hide it. I didn't even like reading until after I finished graduate school (my Master's degree is in Reading Education.. OH THE IRONY).
I'm always interested in reading books about self-help - namely so I can help myself and others not feel alone in their journey to emotional wellness. However, I also am very interested in people's stories.
Our personal story can't be replicated -- in fact, I think listening to people's life stories is one of the only ways to develop real-life, lasting empathy.
I have always enjoyed Gabrielle Union and valued her strong womanhood - but it wasn't until about 3 months ago when I listened to Ashley Graham's podcast, "Pretty Big Deal", where Gabrielle Union was interviewed when I realized the depth of her story.
In her book, "We're Going to Need More Wine: Stories that are Funny, Complicated and True", she highlights different life-changing events and she tells stories that are very raw and very honest. From explaining the complexities of being a black woman in a predominantly-white entertainment industry, to sharing stories of self-doubt, discovery and growth, Gabrielle Union is truly sharing her most vulnerable and authentic self -- an example we could all learn from.
I've learned a lot from her book and from her story - it has motivated me to be more courageous in the encouragement of women and deepened my perspective of the black woman's experience in America. I'm grateful she was brave and told her story because many women could not only resonate with it, but need to hear it.
Below are my favorite inspirational quotes from the book -- they truly hit home with me and prayerfully, you'll enjoy them too.
Top 10 Inspirational Quotes from "We're Going to Need More Wine"
1. Here's to being afraid and doing it anyway.
2. An empress does not concern herself with the antics of fools.
3. 'Until you ask my husband those same questions, I just can’t answer them anymore.' But I can’t stop. I can’t help myself. 'Do you know why no one asks men how they balance it all? It’s because there is no expectation of that. Bringing home money is enough. We don’t expect you to be anything more than a provider, men. But a working woman? Not only do you have to bring home the bacon and fry it up, you gotta be a size double-zero, too. You’ve got to volunteer at the school, you’ve got to be a sex kitten, a great friend, a community activist. There are all these expectations that we put on women that we don’t put on men. In the same way, we never inquire about what’s happening in a man’s urethra. ‘Low sperm count, huh? That why you don’t have kids? Have you tried IVF?'
4. If you prioritize yourself, you are going to save yourself.
5. In fact, I think I can deal effectively with the world precisely because I am a black woman who is so comfortable in my black-womanness. I know what I can accomplish. And anything I have accomplished, I did so not in spite of being a black woman, but because I am a black woman.
6. 'You were fly, dope, and amazing from birth,’ I would tell that girl now. ‘From the second you took your first breath, you were worthwhile and valid, and I’m sorry you had to wait so long to learn that for yourself.'
7. Your world is only as small as you make it.
8. To be a black person is to understand what it is to be automatically infantilized and have it be assumed that you don’t have the talent or the skill set required to do your job.
9. But the more empowered women in the workforce, the better. The more that women mentor women, the stronger our answer is to the old-boys’ network that we’ve been left out of. We can’t afford to leave any woman behind. We need every woman on the front lines lifting each other up . . . for the good of all of us and the women who come behind us.
10. I remember the moment I realized I was free, looking in a mirror and saying, 'I choose myself.'